This invention relates to a stand or rack for use in maintaining a bicycle or the like in an upright position, and more particularly to a parking stand or rack that is collapsible when not in use.
There are many known types of parking stands or racks that are designed to maintain a bicycle or the like in an upright position. Typically, a parking stand or rack includes a lower support area which engages a lower area of one of the bicycle wheels, and an upwardly extending section, which may be in the form of a pair of spaced apart bars that define a space configured to receive the bicycle wheel at a location above the lower support area. The bars engage the sides of the wheel, to maintain the bicycle in an upright position. This type of parking stand or rack is typically a self-supporting, stationary structure adapted to remain in a predetermined location, e.g. adjacent a building, park, train station, etc.
Smaller, compact parking stands or racks have been developed for residential and other uses where it is desired to park a relatively small number of bicycles, as well as for use in other bicycle parking applications, e.g. at the starting or finishing area of a bicycle race or in the staging area of a triathlon. The latter applications require a bicycle parking stand or rack that is capable of being transported in a vehicle and set up in any desired location on site. An example of such a rack or stand is illustrated in Martinell U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,461, which discloses a parking stand or rack constructed of modules that are pivotably interconnected together for movement between a folded position for storage and an unfolded position for use in parking bicycles. Each module includes a top tube, and the top tubes of adjacent modules are aligned so as to define a passage through which a tension member extends. The ends of the tension member are threaded, and nuts are engaged with the threaded ends of the tension member and with the ends of the aligned top tubes, to selectively maintain the modules in the unfolded position for use. The nuts are loosened so as to relieve tension in the tension member in order to allow the modules to be folded together for storage. While a rack as disclosed in the '461 patent is portable and collapsible so as to be capable of use in the noted applications, there are certain features of this type of rack that present disadvantages in construction and/or operation. For example, the tension member can be separated from the modules and lost or misplaced. In addition, the tension member and the nuts add to the overall number of parts that are incorporated into the rack. Further, the user can position the modules in different angular positions relative to each other, and the retention of the modules in the unfolded use position is controlled by engagement of the nuts with the ends of the top tubes of the modules. In the event the nuts are not sufficiently tightened against the top tube ends, the angular relationship of the modules may be subject to change if the rack is bumped or struck after the position of the modules has initially been set.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable, collapsible rack or stand for supporting bicycles or the like in an upright position, in which the components of the rack or stand are assembled together and cannot be removed, to ensure that the components cannot be lost or misplaced. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a rack or stand which provides a consistent position when the rack or stand is in the unfolded position for use. Another object of the invention is to provide such a rack or stand having a hinge arrangement for providing movement of the rack or stand between a folded condition and an unfolded condition, and including a stop arrangement that is independent of the hinge arrangement for providing consistent conditioning of the components of the rack or stand in the unfolded use position. Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a rack or stand that is relatively simple in its components, construction and operation, yet which provides consistent, reliable operation and is easy to fold for storage or transport.
In accordance with the present invention, a rack or stand for use in maintaining a bicycle or the like in an upright position, includes a pair of supports, at least one of which includes a pair of spaced apart members that define a space configured to receive a wheel of the bicycle or the like therebetween. Each support includes a lower support member and an upper member located above the lower support member. The pair of spaced apart members are interconnected with and extend between the upper and lower members.
The upper members of the pair of supports are pivotably interconnected together via a hinge arrangement that defines a pivot axis that is offset from a longitudinal axis defined by each of the upper members. In a representative embodiment, the hinge arrangement includes a hinge barrel secured to the exterior of a wall defined by each of the upper members, and a hinge pin that extends through aligned passages defined by the hinge barrels. The hinge pin defines the pivot axis about which the supports are pivotable for movement between an unfolded, open operative position for use and a closed, collapsed inoperative position for storage.
The hinge barrels are positioned relative to the upper members such that the pivot axis defined by the hinge pin is located below a center defined by each of the upper members. With this arrangement, pivoting movement of the supports from the closed, collapsed position toward the open, operative position results in engagement of facing areas of the upper members with each other at a location above the pivot axis. Such engagement of the upper members functions as a stop so as to place the supports in a predetermined angular orientation when the supports are moved apart. To collapse the rack or stand for transport or storage, the supports are pivoted toward each other about the pivot axis defined by the hinge pin. The supports are configured so as to assume a generally parallel orientation when in the closed, collapsed position, to minimize the space occupied by the stand or rack.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.